THE SECOND YEAR OF THE ACCREDITED ERASMUS+PLAN BEGINS AT THE PRESIDENT VALDAS ADAMKAUS GYMNASIUM…
It didn't take long for the first year of the accredited Erasmus + plan to pass in our institution and the second one began which we hope will be no less full of interesting and meaningful activities not only for students, but also for teachers. We are glad that during the last school year we managed to implement the determined goals of our Erasmus + plan and what is more, we managed to implement even 24 job-shadowing visits for teachers instead of the planned 20 ones! We are sure that the experience gained by colleagues while observing lessons, various events, educational environments in foreign countries, sharing good experiences with other colleagues will not only help to convey more effectively educational materials to students by applying innovative and inclusive educational methods integrating sustainability into the subject they teach, but also make lessons more interesting and efficient.
The second year of the accredited Erasmus + plan is planned for the implementation of the 24 mobilities for students, raising teachers' qualifications by participating in various courses that would meet the goals of our gymnasium’s Erasmus + plan. The plan also includes 4 job shadowing visits, as well as training that will be conducted by a guest expert on what effective educational methods/approaches could be applied in various lessons in order to integrate SDG, sustainability and ecological literacy into them.
So, on 18th September 2023 after a successful selection to the project, thirty-two 6th grade students together with their peers from Spain, Italy and Portugal started their participation in the new project. All sixth graders for the selection had to make an item/product from reusable/upcycled materials, bring it to the class and present it in front of the classroom. Our gymnasium’s students surprised us with their ingenuity and creativity. A raincoat for a puppy, a case for a tablet computer, a Christmas tree, Christmas ornaments, decorations, hanging gardens of spices - all these are just a few examples presented by the students. We are proud and happy with the students' innovative ideas which could be used not only at home but also at the gymnasium. We wish everyone participant of the project a successful start and many memorable moments participating in this project😊.
THE NEW "HEROES OF HEALTHY AND HAPPY GENERATION" (3HG) PROJECT IS STARTING
The second year of the "Erasmus +" KA121 accredited project has begun as well as the new project "The heroes of healthy and happy generation" whose acronym is 3HG is starting. 33 sixth-grade students are participating in the project, all those who successfully passed the selection and decided to participate in various creative and practical activities of the project.
On 10th October 2023 the first creative workshop took place during which project participants gathered to learn what wind energy is and how it is produced. During the session, practical workshop took place, the purpose of which was to test how the windmill functions when generating electricity. The students were divided into small groups. Using the model, they made a small windmill. The final goal of the practical work was to use the wind to generate enough energy to start the light bulb. This task was very successful for all the groups. Project participants not only learned how to reduce environmental pollution and climate change using clean energy, but also understood the importance of innovation in the energy sector, the benefits of sustainable energy in our time’s modern society.
Another creative task performed by the participants of the "3HG" project was the creation of a poster on energy saving methods and its presentation to the other group participants. By creating posters, students had the opportunity to reveal their creativity, ideas about the most effective ways to save energy. Also, by presenting their work, students shared information and knowledge about the topic they were interested in with their group mates. We are sure that creating a poster about the most effective ways hoe to save energy will encourage students to rethink their consumption habits and encourage participants to use energy in a sustainable and responsible way in order to contribute to environmental protection.
Brain Marathon: "Game Week" In the Gymnasium
During the Break Time
On 21st, December Erasmus+ project’s "Creativity and Sustainability" team created a good atmosphere at school during breaks offering to play board games at the President's Valdas Adamkus Gymnasium. Board games have been played since time immemorial. For a long time, various board games were considered entertainment of the nobility, a great way to spend family free time. However, even now, in the presence of the latest technologies, board games do not lose their positions and are considered not only entertainment, but also beneficial for health. Children learn to communicate while playing listen, do not interrupt, give advice. In addition, it is a great opportunity to get to know the participants of the game better: to see their character traits, how players react to winning or losing. Students in grades 5-12 were invited to the third floor to challenge each other and maybe even make new friends by playing various board games, such as chess (which is said to be one of the longest-lasting games), jang, cups, Uno, doblo and even simple cards. These games develop the child's patience. When playing board games, you often have to wait patiently for your turn, as other players have to make their maneuver first. In addition, board games are played for a really long time, so children learn to keep their attention longer. There were many emotions. Most often, playing board games involves positive emotions. Joy, laughter, excitement and, of course, the desire to win. Positive emotions have a positive effect on a person's health. So board games can help to overcome stress. The positive emotions that come with playing can strengthen the immune system. It was really fun to see the smiling faces of the children when they spent their breaks differently than usual and after talking to them, the students said that it was probably the best winter break at school.
GREEN LABORATORY HAS ALREADY LAUNCHED….
The Erasmus+ project’s “Creativity and sustainability” team works quietly because the improving process does not take place briefly😊. This school year schoolchildren established “Green Laboratory” in which they have been learning how to sow, to take care for plants properly, also to transplant various useful, edible and healthy herbs on time. As the weather becomes warmer, students are looking forward to picking up fresh harvest which enriches the body with useful vitamins, trace elements and other mineral substances. Choosing sown herbs, students were searching for some information about them and have chosen the most popular ones. They hope that they will have opportunity to give those plants to school’s canteen for usage. Basil - it treats nervous stress, relieves headaches, effectively relieves high body temperature, normalizes the functioning of the organs of the digestive system, relieves pain, destroys bacteria, suppress spasms, stimulate urine excretion, strengthen immunity, facilitate expectoration, restores the sense of smell after a long-lasting runny nose, stimulates blood circulation, contains strong antioxidants and antiseptics, they rejuvenate, refresh, tone the skin, give shine to the hair, stimulate their growth. Parsley - folic acid contained in parsley is one of the most important vitamins of group B. This compound, among other functions in the body, plays a special role in maintaining cardiovascular health. In the Mediterranean, parsley has long been used to treat small inflammations, such as like toothache, bruises, insect bites. Thyme has many health-improving properties as well as many plant-based properties. Nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for well-being. Thyme flowers, leaves and essential oil is usually used to solve the problems of urination in bed, in the treatment of diarrhea, abdomen pains, arthritis, sore throats, colic, cough, bronchitis, bloating and as a diuretic (promote for urination). Wheat - nutritionists say that sprouted wheat is one of the most useful foods products, so they are worth including in the daily diet. Sprouted wheat helps faster to recover from various diseases, if this food will be consumed daily, already after a month you will be able to enjoy a significant improvement in your eyesight. It is also important to mention that germinated wheat has a positive effect affects the metabolism and the nervous system, strengthens immunity, and increases frost resistance. When transplanting their sown plants, the schoolchildren wanted to behave in sustainable way, so they planted them in the already used jars that are great for growing spicy herbs on the windowsills of our Green Laboratory.
Aiste Vaıvilaviciene
INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE “PROTECT OUR PLANET (POP)”
IN INDIA AND GAINED EXPERIENCES
3rd February, 2024 Luka Kazakevičiūtė and Miglė Mickevičiūtė-6th grade students from president Valdas Adamkus gymnasium participated in the online international conference "POP (protect our planet)- Human fraternity for Youth-led Climate Action 2024" which was held in New Delhi, India and during which the students presented the project "Heroes of Happy and Healthy Generation (3HG)”, its objectives, activities and expected results.
The POP conference was visited by large number of participants, which included not only students, but also teachers, alumni, entrepreneurs, government and civil society leaders, scientists and other eminent personalities including 4 Nobel Peace Prize winners and several heads of state such as the 8th United Nations General Secretary H.E. Ban Ki-moon, former President of Ecuador H.E. Dr. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano; President of East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate H.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta; Community Mobiliser, Mama Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Ruth Mitchell; Former Head of Doha Bank Dr. Raghavan Seetharaman; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and several other youth and adult leaders from 40 countries around the world.
During the POP festival-conference, the main focus was on climate change and health, the use of advanced technologies and the successful implementation of sustainable development goals. Also, during the POP conference, great attention was paid to women's leadership and the creation of the role of influential women in the implementation of sustainability strategies. Women's success stories, discussions about gender equality and leadership will undoubtedly encourage more women to get involved in sustainability activities and become leaders in their communities.
We are proud of having the opportunity to participate in the international “POP” conference in India, to share our project’s ideas and thoughts and to learn more about climate change, its impact on human health, the environment and society, new and effective strategies for sustainable development goals, and ways to implement them. We say thank you to our school students because as Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate from India, said: "Every child matters. If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well.”
Here is the presentation of our students about the project "3HG"
SOLAR ENERGY - AN ALTERNATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY
Student workshops are activities during which students can experiment, create and implement their ideas. This is the place where knowledge and creativity come together. In these innovative environments students not only acquire theoretical knowledge but also apply it in practice looking for solutions that encourage changing their attitudes towards sustainability, consumerism and the relationship with nature.
6th grade students of the Erasmus + project "3HG" participate regularly in various workshops, during which creative processes, implementation of ideas and development of various products take place. This time the students were making solar powered beetles and some of them dealt with cars that could be run by solar energy. At the beginning of the workshop students got the general idea what solar energy is, how and what it is used for, what is a solar collector, what are solar batteries, what they are made of and how they are widely used both in Lithuania and the world.
Later, the students watched a short film about solar energy, discussed its main idea, discussed and clarified the essential and main points related to the renewable energy source - solar energy.
Finally, the construction phase began during which the students split into small groups and began to construct a beetle that has a solar panel on its back and starts moving from solar energy. The main goal of the activity was to assemble the beetle and take it outside on a sunny day to see how it works and moves. There was not enough time to construct a beetle during one session, so we had to choose another one and complete the task to the end. During the next activity, all the students managed to finish and test how the beetle works. Since the weather conditions did not allow the test to be carried out outside a desk lamp was used to help. The working beetle brought a lot of joy to the children and proved that the sun is an inexhaustible source of energy that is being used more and more widely all over the world.
Creative Threads: Upcycled Fashion Workshop
A team of Erasmus+ “Creativity and sustainability” project are working hard and tensely, but responsible. They have already got a program from Spanish coordinator what they must prepare and bring to Spain in April, and that thing - is an interesting and unique thing. Our students are going to become fashion designers, and even more - sustainable fashion designers. They will have to create an outfit with recycled clothing or other recycled materials for every month. As we all know, we have twelve months and there are twelve students in our project, that means that each of them is going to create one fashion masterpiece. After an intense day at school, we met all together to prepare for our journey and to dive into our creativity river. And here we have: a summer hat, waterproof shoes, which can be matched to every colour of your clothes (the most important thing – the colour of your socks); Hawaiian skirt, which can be worn by the Spanish sea; also, an elegant and gorgeous dress, which is able to wear in the farewell party and of course a scarf which will fit if the weather is not so hot, otherwise being stylish. Materials used for these outfits were different: some plastic (big bottles from Coca-Cola, different colour’s rubbish bags), paper - in other words recycled products. This accomplished work is only a half, the other half will be in Spain, when these masterpieces will be presented and demonstrated in a catwalk by our students.
Aistė Valavičienė
In the spirit of global unity and environmental consciousness, the 3HG members of the “Erasmus+” KA121 project recently gathered to create a poster commemorating Earth Day. This creative endeavor not only celebrated the planet but also highlighted critical environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
The activity took place on a bright spring afternoon, with participants buzzing with enthusiasm. Tables were set up with art supplies ranging from paints and brushes to markers and recycled materials, fostering an atmosphere of creativity and innovation.
The group began with a brainstorming session, where members shared their thoughts and ideas about Earth Day and the pressing environmental challenges we face today. This session was instrumental in shaping the poster’s design, ensuring it would be both impactful and educational.
The poster’s design was a collaborative effort, reflecting the diverse perspectives and talents of the participants. Central to the poster was a depiction of Earth, symbolizing unity and the shared responsibility of caring for our planet.
As the day drew to a close, the 3HG members reflected on the experience and the importance of Earth Day. They discussed how the activity had deepened their understanding of environmental issues and strengthened their resolve to contribute to sustainable solutions. Each member left with a renewed commitment to advocate for the planet, both within their communities and on a broader scale.
The creation of the Earth Day poster by the 3HG members of the Erasmus+ project was more than an artistic activity; it was a powerful exercise in environmental stewardship. By combining creativity with education, the group not only commemorated Earth Day but also highlighted the urgent need to address climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss. This collaborative effort serves as a reminder that through unity and action, we can work towards a healthier, more sustainable planet.
